


Butterfly's Beauty

by liketolaugh



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler, Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Crossover, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-02
Updated: 2013-09-02
Packaged: 2017-12-13 19:02:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/827749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liketolaugh/pseuds/liketolaugh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fragile like a butterfly. That's what Vincent calls Ciel before he sends him from England, wary of a new group of murderers that have taken residence in England. Ciel goes to Ouran Academy, and is caught up in the chaos. But with everything he's already experienced, what more can go wrong? Formerly 'Star Light, Star Bright'. No longer Empath!Ciel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. When I Opened the Door

Ciel pulled on the coat and tugged at the sleeve with a frown. "Are  _certain_ that this is necessary?" he complained, more rhetorically than not. If his parents weren't certain, the suggestion would never have reached his ears. Well, not with their knowledge, anyway.

Vincent answered anyway. " _Yes,_ Ciel. It's not safe for you in England anymore; we've gone over this already. The risk has become too high, with not only your kidnappers after you, but also the contingent of killers that have recently established themselves. You're fragile, like a butterfly, Ciel. I need to keep you safe."

"Yes, yes," Ciel said dismissively. "But  _Japan,_ Father?" Then he frowned and objected, "I am not  _fragile!_ "

"It's far enough away that you'll be safe," pushed Rachel, sitting beside him with a hand on his thigh and ignoring his objection. Then she smiled and added, with a hint of amusement, "At least the uniform looks wonderful on  _you_ , Ciel."

All three of them looked up to Sebastian, whose appearance had changed into that of an older teen. He was glowering at his own outfit, an off-blue sort of lavender that matched Ciel's as the boy's uniform of Ouran High School. A tug of the sleeve, along with his disconcerted frown (unused as he was to not looking handsome in his clothing), indicated that he was less than pleased with it. Ciel had to admit that lavender was  _not_ the demon's color.

"How is it that you can look like a student?" Ciel demanded of him.

Sebastian looked up, distracted from his musings, and a smirk curled his lips. "If I couldn't look like a student for my master, well, what kind of a butler would I be?"

"A human one," mumbled Vincent, slightly exasperated. Sebastian's smirk widened.

Ciel sighed. "Well, in any case, I suppose we'd best be going now." He looked around the room, which was almost identical to his room in the Phantomhive manor. "I take it you'll have gone by the time I return?"

Vincent nodded, looking regretful. "Yes, we have to go soon after you leave, actually. Our flight takes off in just a few hours."

"Good-bye, Ciel," added Rachel, smiling, only a hint of tears in her eyes. She leaned down and hugged Ciel tightly, and he, hesitantly, hugged her back, closing his eyes softly. "Good luck out there!"

"Thank you, Mother," Ciel replied softly. After a long moment, they both let go, and Vincent leaned down to steal a hug as well, which Ciel instantly gave.

Ciel stood and faced the door.

It was time for him to go to Ouran Academy.

Ciel shifted uneasily as he looked around, back and forth. He had only ever had tutors – he had never before gone to an actual  _school,_ even a private one. Sebastian, sensing his unease, smirked.

"Second thoughts, my lord?"

"I'm not your lord here," Ciel growled reflexively, having anticipated such an issue. Though he couldn't see Sebastian from this angle, he knew that the demon would be looking slightly sheepish and somewhat embarrassed by his mistake.

"Ah, of course not." He smirked. "In fact, as I am older than you…"

"Don't even think about it." He was quick to nip that thought in the bud.

"Of course not… Ciel."

Ciel nodded stiffly and, worry completely forgotten, strode forward toward the buildings entrance. Then a thought occurred to him and his gait faltered.

Damn. He'd just been played. Ciel shook his head and cast Sebastian a halfhearted glare. Sebastian replied with a smirk, and he could practically hear the man thinking,  _If I couldn't distract my master from his worry, what kind of a butler would I be?_

"Damn demon," he mumbled. He pushed open the door and entered the building.

Ciel was annoyed.

Now, this in itself was not at all unusual. Ciel was often annoyed. It was his natural state of being. But he was  _especially_ annoyed at the moment, and the reason for that was crowding all around him, pushing in on his personal space.

"Ooh, isn't he so  _adorable?_ "

"Look at his eye patch – it's so mysterious, what sort of story could be behind it?"

"And his expression! That little frown is just so  _cute!_ "

It seemed that the girls at this school were extremely…  _fond_ of him and Sebastian. They were worse than Lizzy, honestly – at least he  _liked_ her, which was far more than he could say for this particular group of females. Ciel hissed under his breath, scowling. Soft squeals echoed through the chamber, and the teacher tried futilely to get his students' attention.

Yes, Ciel was very annoyed. His scowl deepened and he heard more than one squeal. His eyebrow twitched.

This, Ciel grumbled silently, was the third class, and they were just about to break for lunch. No doubt these  _things_ would be present there as well, and that made Ciel more annoyed still. He just wanted them, with all of their fainting and squeals, to go away!

In fact, he was tempted to order Sebastian to make them, but that, of course, was out of the question. This was a school, after all, and not only could he not risk expulsion, but he could not risk angering the families of the girls in question. He would simply have to grit his teeth and bear it. Also, that damn demon was enjoying this, he knew it. He cast a glare at Sebastian, seeing a smirk that confirmed his suspicions.

The bell rung at long last and Ciel quickly packed up his things – these damn  _girls_ were giving him a headache, and he wanted  _out of there!_ He growled quietly and did not wait for Sebastian, knowing he would follow in moments, and went out the door, into the hallway, where many students were already heading for the lunchroom.

The girls followed him, whispering and giggling. Damn.

This cluster, far away from any host member, caught Tamaki's attention, and he looked over. Instantly, a look of interest came over his face, and then excitement. "Hey, Mommy, Mommy!"

Kyoya sighed, amusement radiating from the quiet sound. "Yes,  _Daddy?_ "

"Who are those boys?"

Kyoya looked over and followed Tamaki's gaze, otherwise ignoring the other boy as he bounced in excitement. "Ah, those would be two of the new students, Ciel Phantomhive and Sebastian Michaelis. They transferred here from England just this year."

"You know what I think, Mommy?"

"Hm?" Kyoya felt a spark of dread at this. Those words were never followed by anything good, considering Tamaki's tendencies toward spontaneous, ill-thought-out decisions. Whatever followed those words, he wouldn't like it, and on the first day of the new school year, it was just  _too early_ for Tamaki's insane plans.

"I think I should invite them to join the Host Club!"

Kyoya was right. He didn't like it.


	2. Let's Play a Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm playing catch up right now, sorry. I practically forgot about this account; most of my work goes straight to fanfiction.net and then gets ignored. Mostly because there are far fewer people here... -.- But. Well. Yeah...

"Sebastian," Ciel sighed grumpily, attracting the demon's attention.

"Y- Ciel?" he asked, not bothering to hide his amusement.

Ciel glowered at the mass of  _females,_ who were blocking out virtually every other sight, sound, and smell in the vicinity with their noise and body mass and  _perfume._ "I hate girls."

Sebastian was far too cheerful for Ciel's liking as he replied, "Oh, don't say that, sir. You'll upset them."

"Just so!" a voice cried from the side.

Ciel looked over and found the crowd parting for a boy, who was grinning widely and approaching. He tilted his head, a bit surprised. His hair was blond and his eyes were purple (a normal purple, that was, not a contract purple) and honestly, already he reminded Ciel a bit of Elizabeth, but more restrained.

"A gentleman should always make the ladies happy!" the boy continued, eyes sparkling and passionate. "In the pursuit of beauty, people such as I serve the ladies loyally, as is our rightful duty-"

Ciel considered tuning the boy out, but dismissed it after much consideration, by which time he was nearly finished anyway.

"And so, dear Phantomhive, I would like to invite you and Michaelis-san to join the Host Club." He beamed, undaunted by the lack of response he'd received thus far.

Sebastian looked at Ciel. Ciel kept his eyes on the boy.

"No," Ciel said flatly.

Then he turned and walked away without another word. Sebastian followed without hesitation.

Tamaki flew into his corner to brood.

 

Ciel strode down the hallway, Sebastian following at his elbow. "Who was that boy?" he wondered, annoyed.

"I believe that was Tamaki Suoh, president of the Host Club," Sebastian replied promptly, unbothered by both the interruption and Ciel's irritable mood. "He is well known for being the favorite of the school's female population and, to a lesser extent, for sulking in corners."

Ciel 'hm'ed and accepted the information absently, pushing open the door and walking into the first class, sitting in his seat for another round.

 

Lunchtime came all too slowly for Ciel and he sat at his seat, fuming from the anger that had built up over the day. Sebastian was seated across from him, a tray in front of him for appearance's sake, eying him with a mixture of wariness and amusement.

Ciel poked halfheartedly at his food with his fork, but, unsurprisingly, found himself not to be particularly hungry.

"Ciel," he heard Sebastian say. He looked up at the demon with a glower, but his gaze immediately zeroed in on the pack of cards in the demon's hand, irritation being replaced by interest. "If it is not too presumptuous, sir, would you, perhaps, like to play a game?"

And that, as Sebastian knew from experience, was the right thing to say. After a short moment, Ciel nodded, the annoyance draining from his form faster than could be believed.

Tamaki – sitting a few tables away and wondering how he could convince Ciel to join the Host Club – tilted his head back, surprise in his eyes and his mouth in a thoughtful line. "Huh." So Phantomhive liked games, did he?

 

A few days later, Ciel grimaced from one of the very few places girls wouldn't follow – the upper branches of a tall tree. A few branches away, Sebastian smirked.

Then a voice – Tamaki's, Ciel realized – called up.

"Oh, hey! There you are!"

Ciel frowned and looked down. Tamaki was looking up at him, eyes sparkling with delight. Ciel tilted his head. Tamaki really did remind him of Elizabeth.

"You're difficult to find, you know that?" Tamaki asked conversationally, laughing a little. "I was thinking that we may have gotten off on the wrong foot. I didn't even introduce myself!"

"You're Suoh," Ciel stated matter-of-factly.

"Why, yes, I am!" grinned Tamaki. "So you have heard of me, then! Of course, I suppose it's impossible not to have, brilliant and beautiful as I am… Still, there are always exceptions."

"On with it, Suoh," Ciel said impatiently, glowering at him. "You  _are_ going somewhere with this, are you not?"

Tamaki brightened, if that was possible. "Right you are, Phantomhive! I thought I should actually  _explain_ the Host Club to you, so you can hear for yourself what it's like. You see, the Host Club aims to please the young ladies that attend Ouran Academy," he explained, confident and proud and very, very happy. "You and Michaelis-san haven't attended Ouran a week and already you have a bit of a following…" Tamaki beamed even brighter than before. "So I decided to invite you to join me in the Host Club!"

Ciel scowled down at Tamaki, and said, with only the barest trace of patience, "Suoh, this may be news to you, but I am not a  _people person._ I do not enjoy talking to people, and people most certainly do not enjoy talking to me. People. Do not.  _Like me._ "

Tamaki grinned confidently. "Is that the only problem you have with it?"

Ciel considered, frowning. Was it? His experience with people in general tended to put them at obnoxious and aggressive. But should they like him, they wouldn't be antagonistic, as he was used to. Obnoxious was still a full on possibility, but then, it sounded like something that he could have fun with – after all, manipulation, as would be a necessity in such a club, was something he quite enjoyed doing, no matter the manner of person. No one would even mind.

That was all for him, but, of course, there was Lizzy to consider. He could not, in good conscience, be flirting, whether it was serious or not, with girls when he had a fiancé. He voiced this to Tamaki, who frowned, evidently trying to find a way around it.

"What if you asked her?" he suggested hopefully. "It is only playful, after all. There are many boys who will passively flirt while in a relationship, and often their partners do not mind at all. If she approved, then there would no longer be a problem."

Ciel frowned, but couldn't really fault Tamaki's logic. "Perhaps…" Lizzy was not, after all, the possessive type, and he really couldn't see her becoming offended by… well, much of anything really, but indeed, not this. As long as he asked her for permission, which in itself was evidence that she meant more to him. In his experience, that would be enough for Lizzy. Of course, it would be an awkward conversation, and he saw no reason to enter into the subject at al-

"Then," Tamaki began, something between a smile and a smirk on his face. "I'll offer you a challenge. A game, if you will."

Ciel's eyes, as both Tamaki and Sebastian knew they would, sparked with interest. "Oh? What kind of game?"

"You and Michaelis-san will join the Host Club for a trial period of one week," Tamaki proposed, having already thought about it. "If, in that time period, you get fifty requests, then my point is proved and the ladies  _do_ like you and you join for good. If you don't, then  _you're_ right and I let you go. Sound good?" Then he added hastily, "Provided, of course, that your fiancé agrees as well."

Ciel tilted his head and considered. Tamaki waited, holding his breath. Sebastian, though, knew Ciel well enough to be certain that he was won over already. And sure enough…

"Fine, then."

Tamaki grinned.


	3. First Days

It took a painfully awkward, but thankfully short conversation before Elizabeth agreed, and the next day, Ciel was ready to begin his newest game. Sebastian stood at his elbow as he paused right in front of the large double doors into Music Room Three, and then he turned the handle and pushed the door open.

"Welcome," chorused the Host Club.

The next moment, Tamaki grinned. "Ah, Phantomhive, Michaelis, it's you. Men, these are the newest additions to our Host Club!"

Ciel's gaze flickered over each member, mentally cataloguing each one. Besides Tamaki himself, there was a boy with glasses, writing in a black notebook, a pair of identical twins, with identical mischievous grins on their faces as they looked back at him, and… His eyes landed on the last member and narrowed slightly. First suspicion, then realization kindled in them, and he glanced up at Sebastian, who looked back. A slight nod of agreement, almost too subtle to be noticed, confirmed his suspicion.

The last member of the Host Club was a girl.

Ciel returned his attention to the Host Club and tilted his head toward them in a semi-respectful gesture. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," he stated formally.

"Tono," one of the twins started, looking at Tamaki with his arms crossed, frowning. "What are they gonna be doing?"

"Yeah, are they going to be a loli-shota and wild type like Honey and Mori were?" added the other.

"I am not a loli-shota!" Ciel snapped irritably.

He was a shota, though. It displeased him greatly.

Tamaki chuckled, both at the twins and Ciel's reaction. "I'm not sure yet," he replied. "I think we should let them loose for a few sessions… say, a week? Then we'll see." His eyes cut to the pair, something between a smirk and a smile on his lips.

"So Tamaki-sempai can do subtle…" the girl mumbled. "I had wondered."

"So!" Tamaki exclaimed suddenly, grinning again and clapping his hands together. He started to point out each host, introducing them. "This is Kyoya Ootori, our cool type. The twins, Kaoru and Hikaru Hitachiin, the mischievous types. And Haruhi Fujioka, our sweet little natural type." He flashed the two newcomers an almost seductive smile. "I, of course, am the princely type."

"I see," Sebastian muttered dubiously. "And our own 'types' will be determined once the week is out?"

Tamaki nodded decisively. "Yes! Until then…" He flashed yet another grin. "Just do what you think will work!"

Ciel tilted his head back slightly and 'hm'ed, no less convinced than before that he would be distinctly  _not_ popular. People didn't like him. He didn't like people. End of story.

About a half hour later (Ciel didn't particularly care to keep track, though he was certain that Sebastian knew the time down to the last minute) all of the hosts were settled, with their guests in front of them. Even Ciel and Sebastian – who, at both their insistence, were working as a pair – had three girls watching them. Sebastian, still unused to sitting in his master's presence, particularly in a social setting, was hovering just behind Ciel's chair, not looking at all awkward, or even bothered by it.

Ciel considered briefly. Though he disliked losing games, this was to prove a point, so there was no point in ignoring what hospitality skills he had. "Hello, ladies," he greeted, tipping his head. "I thank you for taking a chance with Sebastian and I, and I hope to ensure that you enjoy yourselves."

Sebastian followed this with a smile, which sent them into giggles. Ciel cast him a glance and gave him a slight nod, half falling back into familiar routines. Sebastian set about pouring each girl and Ciel a cup of tea. "As Ciel said, we hope that you enjoy yourselves."

 _Ciel._ Right. At Ouran. Ciel looked at Sebastian again, realizing that the scenario would look odd to any who believed Sebastian to be of the same station as Ciel. Well, he would have to remedy that. "Sit, Sebastian."

His tone left no room for argument, and the order brought Sebastian back to himself as well. One of the girls let out a delighted little squeak of surprise, seeing the obviously younger student so casually command the older.

All three squealed when Sebastian obeyed with only a, "Yes, Ciel."

Ciel, satisfied, returned his attention to the girls. As it was his first time here, he fully expected questions to be a matter of course. There were several obvious options, of course, such as why he had joined the Host Club, what he liked to do, and…

"Why do you have an eye patch, Ciel?" one girl wanted to know.

Ciel faltered slightly, and his gaze automatically shifted to Sebastian, who inserted smoothly, "Ciel does not like to talk about the event that led to that, I'm afraid. It is deeply personal, and only two people know precisely what occurred that day."

Each girl seemed far too enthralled to mind that the question had been left unanswered, and one breathed out,

"But you know, don't you, Sebastian?"

Sebastian hesitated for a moment and his gaze cut to Ciel, who nodded. "Yes. I do."

They squealed again.  _"Kyaaa!"_

"They trust each other so much!"

"And they always look at each other for direction!"

" _Kawaii!"_

"Ciel-kun?" one asked tentatively, leaning forward slightly. "D-do you mind… if we request you tomorrow too?"

Ciel's eyes widened slightly in surprise, but he quickly recovered. Hm… Perhaps it would work better than he had thought… and it would be nice to come across people who didn't hate him, as seemed to be far more common. "That would be wonderful, ladies." He smiled.

This time, the shrieks of delight echoed off the walls, and Tamaki looked over, confused, just in time to see the ghost of Ciel's smile as it faded. His eyes widened in shock.

That smile… It had nothing on Haruhi's, of course, but it was certainly a sight to see. He smiled to himself. He had known that Phantomhive and Michaelis were a real catch from the start.

Kyoya 'hm'ed. Perhaps… Just this once, Tamaki's idea hadn't been so horrible after all.


	4. Demon-sama

"So how did you know that acting like that with each other would work?" Tamaki, who had spent quite some time glancing over to see how things were going, asked curiously.

Ciel shot him a half-scornful look. "What are you talking about?" he asked grumpily. "We didn't do  _anything_." Honestly, aside from Sebastian addressing him as 'Ciel', it had been about par for the course, if far more receptive to other people outside of the two of them.

"You mean you always act like that?" questioned Haruhi, looking vaguely puzzled.

"Well, yes," confirmed Sebastian slowly. He really didn't see what was so odd…

"Oh!"

The exclamation came from a door that Ciel was  _certain_ had not been there a moment ago, dark purple and shrouded in darkness. He looked over to find a boy in a dark cloak, which obscured every bit of him, lurking just behind the door.

A moment later, the boy crept out from behind the door, making straight for Sebastian. Ciel frowned.

"Just as I have always dreamed!" breathed the boy, clearly excited, and reminding Ciel strongly of Undertaker. Something about the way he moved... "My curses have worked! You are… a demon!"

Sebastian looked at him and frowned. To most, he appeared puzzled, but if you looked into his eyes, you could easily make out a glint of warning. "A demon, you say? Well, that's hardly polite. What would possibly make you say that?"

"Nekozawa-sempai?" frowned Tamaki. "Why are you calling Michaelis a demon?"

Nekozawa ignored Tamaki, still getting closer to Sebastian. "What brings you to a place like this, demon-sama?" he asked, awestruck and worshipful. "Your kind do not often visit places such as this." He reached out a hand, grabbing Sebastian's arm tightly, to the demon's slight alarm. "Have you… come to make a  _deal_ with me, demon-sama?"

"Sebastian." Ciel's voice came sharp and adamant, attracting the attention of both demon and… demon worshipper, apparently. He beckoned with one finger, but his eyes were on Nekozawa, filled with dangerous warning. "Come."

Sebastian looked over at him and dipped his head. "Yes, my lord." The words came automatically, naturally, but in the next moment he faltered. Oops.

"Why did you call Phantomhive-san 'my lord'?" Haruhi wanted to know, looking slightly interested.

"It is… simply a nickname, if you will," Sebastian replied cheerfully, giving no indication that it had been a slipup at all. Nekozawa, though, quickly made the connection and released Sebastian's arm abruptly, backing away and bowing deeply as the demon returned to Ciel's side, looking as if he hadn't a care in the world.

"I apologize, demon-sama," he murmured quickly, backing away a little further as Ciel gave him another warning glare. "I did not realize that you were already bound. Please forgive me."

Before anyone could say another word, he rushed back through the door he'd come from, shutting it behind him.

"Well, that was strange," Kaoru frowned.

"Nekozawa's never reacted to someone like that before," Hikaru agreed, somewhat bemused.

"It was certainly most peculiar," agreed Sebastian lightly, acting like his secret hadn't just been announced. It wasn't as though anyone believed it, after all, so… no worries.

"Hmph," Ciel snorted, arms crossed, still glowering at the door. Nekozawa clearly needed to learn when to leave the supernatural well enough alone.

Tamaki, with Nekozawa gone, relaxed. Even after the whole Kirimi incident, the president of the Dark Magic Club still made him skittish. "Well, gentlemen, I suppose that's everything we have to do today. What do you say we call it a day?"

"Fine by me," Hikaru shrugged.

"Nothing else needs to be done today, so I am fine with it as well," agreed Kyoya, pausing in his writing.

The rest of the members nodded, and the club dispersed.

Sebastian followed just behind Ciel as the boy headed for the car.

"You seemed to enjoy yourself today, my lord," he commented, smirking slightly down at him.

Ciel huffed, but then admitted grudgingly, "It wasn't bad." And, he was surprised to find, it hadn't been. He had actually enjoyed it somewhat. How odd.

"Perhaps you will consider joining at the end of the week?" Sebastian pressed.

Ciel glanced up at him, his frown deepening slightly. "Perhaps… but  _only_ if the quota is reached, Sebastian. That was, after all, the agreement."

Sebastian suppressed a sigh. That hadn't been at all what he had meant. "Of course, my lord."

Fifty, Sebastian mused, was actually a rather large number to reach over the course of just five days. It would take some amount of effort to do so. Had Tamaki intended to make a point, he had gone about it quite the wrong way, and it was actually fairly unlikely at this point that Ciel would stay in the Host Club due exclusively to the deal.

Well, as a butler, he supposed that it was his duty to make up for the unspent effort himself. He smirked.

* * *

"Oof!"

Ciel bumped into someone, scowled at Sebastian's smirk, and then turned to scowl at the one he'd bumped into, who had paused.

Hm. Scary face.

He rolled his eyes and brushed past the furiously glaring (and was that a flush?) redheaded boy, dismissing him with scarcely a second thought.

"Yes, the servants  _have_ been somewhat less chaotic as of late," Sebastian agreed, resuming their conversation as though there had been no interruption. "By which I mean that I only have to repair the manor every  _other_ day."

Ciel 'hm'ed. "Well, that is  _something_ of an improvement for them. I certainly hope that whatever servants Father hired are an improvement over them; I don't believe that Tanaka would be capable of handling that level of chaos. He is, after all, only human."

Sebastian chuckled in agreement and opened the door into their first class of the day.


End file.
